The Essence of Ardency
by littlebribes92
Summary: A Cato and Peeta romance story. Cato is good at what he does. Highest ranking senior with ambitions. His popularity makes him desirable. Peeta is a shy sophomore, looking to fit in. His innocence makes him enigmatic. The two get to know each other and mistakenly fall in love.
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys! This is the first chapter in "A Lover's Story" fanfic of Peeta/Cato. This is also my first fanfiction I've written. I didn't really know how long this would be, but giving that it's my first one, I didn't mind that it was fairly shorter than I expected.

Please give me feedback and reviews! I like to start of slow and give a setting before more dialogue and interaction occurs. I think I did a good job :]

I've rated this M because at some point, I would like to introduce mature scenes.

Hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 1

"It doesn't make sense!" shouted a kid from the back. At this point, I was just annoyed and wanted to leave. AP chemistry just happened to be a strength of mine. So, I tend to get annoyed when people ask "stupid" questions.

"What doesn't make sense, Thresh?" asked Ms. Everdeen.

I looked back at him and he just gave her a look and just ignored her.

The bell rang. I was pretty hungry. Thank god it was lunchtime. Walking over to my locker, I forgot to stop by Clove's asking her for my calc homework. She's always asking for it because she claims she couldn't get to it last night. Whatever. She's my stepsister and I really didn't want to deal with her bullshit at home.

I arrive at our usual lunch table, and I can see Glimmer and Marvel already sat down with their lunch trays and began eating. I sit my books down, and get in line. I glance down at my phone to check the time, and I hear Mr. Abernathy yell "Put it away, Cato."

Seriously? I just checked the time. I'm so getting over this damn school. I am lucky though. Being ranked 1st in my class has its privileges. I usually get away with things much easier than other students.

Walking back to the table, I notice a kid walking in by himself, wearing a backpack. I've never seen him before. He must be new. Which made sense because usually new students are assigned lockers after their first week. I get to the table and right away, I get bombarded with questions like always.

"Cato, explain what you did here?" asked Clove.

"It says find the slope of the equation. Remember, derivative equals slope!" I yell. "Were you paying attention at all yesterday?"

"No," she laughs.

I give her the face, and she knows to shut up. I check my emails on my phone and I look up and gaze around the lunchroom, and I see the kid who walked in trying to find a seat. It must suck transferring to a school 2 weeks into the school year. Most students would have found their new friends and would've called dibs on tables in the lunchroom.

I see he sits down at the table near the emergency exit where Mr. Abernathy and Mr. Snow stand and supervise the lunchroom. I'm not the asshole type. I'm the kind of person who would ask the new kid to sit down and get to know him. It's the others who would probably just give me the stare down. Glimmer and Marvel have the typical asshole personalities, while Clove just speaks her mind. Usually Katniss and her boyfriend Gale sit with us today, but I think they ditched lunch to go to McDonalds.

The bell rings and I walk into AP Literature and Composition. I sit next to Clove because she demands my presence just in case she has questions. That kid from the lunchroom comes in late but he has an excuse, as he was lost trying to find the room. He enters, and Ms. Mason has him seat next to Glimmer who sits right in front of me.

As he walks, I couldn't help but notice his bright blue eyes, ashy blonde hair, and strong bone structure.

I'm sure he noticed me looking so I immediately looked down at the cover of the book we're reading this week.

Before we start the lesson, Ms. Mason has him introduce himself being that he's a new student and all.

"H-Hi. I'm Peeta Mellark. Um, I'm a sophomore and I just moved into town from the Capitol," he spoke shyly and softly.

A sophomore in a senior English class? Impressive.

I keep thinking in my mind ways of introducing myself unexpectedly. I don't know why I want to meet him. These thoughts were involuntary and I ended up not paying attention at all during class.

The bell rings, and I pack my books at Peeta's pace hoping we'll leave at the same time. Maybe I can _bump_ into him and I can say I'm sorry and say my name? Wow, this is pathetic. Why don't I just introduce myself. This is so dumb. Why do I even care? I grab my stuff right away get up I walk out to my locker.

"Uh, excuse me?"

I turn around and I'm caught by surprise by his bright blue eyes.

"You dropped your book on your away out of class. Thought I'd return it to you," spoke Peeta softly.

"Uhhh-uh. Thanks! I appreciate it," I stutter.

He smiles. "No problem!"

He walks away. I stare for a second and turn back to my locker and embarrassingly; I hit my head with my locker. I catch a glimpse of him turning around, and he smiles and laughs.

I stare at him, letting out a giggle, and wave at him. He smiles as he walks away.

And for a split second, I feel my heart skip and speed up. I blush, I close my locker and walk in his direction, smiling.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everyone!

Glad to see I got views and reviews/comments on my first chapter of the story! Happy to see there are people interesting in this developing romance! :]

**Changes: **I've changed the title of the fanfiction to "The Essence of Ardency" because I felt the previous title was too generic and lacked originality.

Personally, I feel that the story is developing at a slow pace. I'm hoping you guys don't mind! I'm used to reading other stories where the character's relationships are quickly established and are known.

Whereas, I feel that in my story, I prefer a slower pace of development to address some themes and struggles among the developing characters. I'm hoping you guys like this particular style! :]

Also, this chapter is longer than the first! Again, I'm not always sure how long to make a chapter, but I'm slowly increasing length each time!

Enough ranting. Enjoy chapter 2! :] Please comment/review! Must appreciated!

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Chapter 2

I was tossing and turning again. It's been the second night in a row where I awoke from my sleep. Something was obviously on my mind. I didn't make much of it, so I force myself to close my eyes and hopefully fall asleep again.

My alarm clock rings at 6:00 am. I shower, get dressed, and eat some breakfast before I head out to school at 7:30 am. I arrive early every Friday to help out Ms. Everdeen set up equipment for our weekly labs. The morning seems to fly until I arrive in chemistry.

I sit down reviewing my pre-lab notes and I see him again. My face becomes flushed. Peeta comes in and gives a sheet of paper to Ms. Everdeen and she nods and says, "Okay then, let's get you started."

"Uh, let's see here," spoke Ms. Everdeen.

"Ah, Cato. Have you heard of Gale returning to class soon?"

"I think he dropped out of this class," I say.

"Pity. Well, looks like you don't have to work by yourself anymore during labs!" tells Ms. Everdeen. She turns to Peeta.

"Peeta, I'll partner you up with Cato for your labs. You can take Gale's old seat as well, next to Cato."

Oh great. I see Peeta nod in agreement and he starts walking towards the desk next to mine. His hair is rather messy today. Looks like he's had a rough morning. He walks with his bookbag still and sits down next to me.

"Hey again," smirks Peeta.

"H-Hi," I stutter.

Why is it that I have to stutter and freeze when I talk to him?

We go to the lab tables and begin to start the lab. I found myself looking at Peeta more than looking at the work in front of me. I decided to break the silence.

"So, um, Peeta. Seems like you have a pretty hefty schedule!" I smile as he looks up with his eyebrows in the upward position.

"Ha, I guess so. I wasn't scheduled for this class. I took a placement exam a week ago. They put me in a temporary ordinary chemistry class. Then I found out I scored pretty good and they moved me into this class!"

"Wow, well then that takes some of the weight off my shoulders then!" I exhale with relief.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, since you're sophomore, I assumed that you had less knowledge in the art of chemistry and I thought I would have had to do all the work during labs!" I laugh. "But, my apologies. I've underestimated you."

"Thanks…I guess! Well, I'm not as good as I seem to be. I just work hard," says Peeta. He stares down as his pencil and continues to jot down observations.

It's at this point when I realize it's happening again. I feel an increase of my heart rate and I think I'm beginning to blush. _What's wrong with me?_

As we finished the lab, we walk over to get our books, awaiting the bell to ring.

"Hey Cato, I kind of, sort of have a question?" said Peeta.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Since I've missed about 2 weeks of material in this class, I was wondering if we could meet up sometime and perhaps you could catch me up to speed?" he asks.

"Uh, yeah of course! Not a problem!" I smile.

He exhales and smiles back at me. "Great!" he says. I can't hold eye contact with him before he starts to notice my blushing. I quickly turn around to avoid further eye contact and wait for the bell to ring.

At lunch, I see him sitting by himself again. I was just about to get up and walk toward him until Glimmer and Marvel sit down and catch me staring at him.

"Who you staring at, Cato?" Glimmer winks at me.

"No one. Daydreaming," I say quickly.

Marvel turns around to look in the direction I was staring at and looks at me with the face I've only seen once before. He figures out I was staring at Peeta.

I knew at that moment, he felt the need to bring it up again. About a year ago, Marvel and myself used to be the closest among our group of friends. Over the summer before our junior year started, he had a party at his parent's house. It's pretty typical of Marvel to throw parties in his basement of his house. At the time, I only attended but refused to drink. Until he peer pressured me.

I would be pathetic enough to get outrageously drunk the very first time I tasted beer. But that wasn't the worst part. I don't even remember the night. But I remember the confrontation. Marvel invited me to his house the day after to help him clean up. This wasn't the case.

"Hey Cato, we need to talk," spoke Marvel.

"Look, I know I probably made a fool of myself last night. But you have to understand it was my first time," I quickly confess.

"Cato, you kissed me last night," Marvel revealed.

My face freezes. Temporarily paralyzed. I couldn't make up an excuse. He would catch me in the lie. I had no idea what to say.

"So, you're gay?" Marvel asked.

"Uh-h. No. I don't know what you're talking about," I say

"Don't lie, Cato. You said so yourself last night that you thought I was cute and then you kissed me."

"Marvel, I was drunk. Drunk people do outrageous things," I say.

He looks at me. Just stares. Not saying a word. Then he drops the subject. He turns around, gives me a garbage bag and waits.

"Well, don't just stand there! Are you going to help me clean up, or what?" He laughs.

Thrown back into reality, I see Marvel looking at me. He sits down and avoids bringing it up. I fidget with my fingers and decide to go to the bathroom. _I'm not gay. I'm not gay. _My mind manipulates me. _I've never felt attracted to a girl before. Maybe, the reason I can't stare at Peeta is because I'm actually attracted to him?_

I'm too busy as a student to have relationships. I force myself to believe that that's the reason I've never had a girlfriend. I forced myself to believe that I am straight.

I splash water on my face, dry myself, and walk out of the bathroom. I turn the corner of the hallway going back to the lunchroom and I bump into him.

"Oh sorry, Cato! I didn't see you there!" said Peeta. "Actually good thing I bumped into you. Where's the bathroom?" asked Peeta while laughing sensitively. This time, he catches me staring into his blue eyes, my face blushes, and I begin to stutter.

"Uh-h. Ye-yeah. It's around that corner to your right," I said with difficulty.

We exchange smiles and a quick laugh.

He begins to walk around me. "Thanks," he spoke softly while walking away.

I walk toward the lunchroom, and I turn around. This time, I catch him staring back at me. He smiles and continues walking away.

Then, my heart begins to race…again.


	3. Chapter 3

It's so awesome to see people are enjoying the story! It sure makes me smile! :]

You guys are giving me the will power to update very quickly! Hopefully I can keep a little streak going and update with you guys having to wait so long!

I enjoy reading your reviews and keep them coming on your thoughts/questions/comments on the story!

Hopefully I did better on the length. They'll keep getting longer though, so no need to worry if you're not getting enough of the romance :]

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Chapter 3

After walking for 15 minutes, I finally get home. I close the door behind me, and I find that my mom got home early today from work.

"You're home early," I murmur.

"Sorry sweetie! I could've picked you up but it was unexpected," she said.

My mom is probably the most understanding parent there is. She's a tall, skinny lady with her blond hair always tied up in a bun. Being a marketing administrator at the Capitol, she's constantly busy. Sometimes, I don't see her at all some days. When she is at home, she plays the typical mom role.

"Smells good!" I say.

"Thanks sweetie. I'm making this new pasta recipe Mr. Mellark gave me!"

"Mr. Mellark?"

"Yeah honey. He works at the firm with me," she revealed.

My mind starts making all these connections rapidly, I can hardly keep up. I wonder how long my mom has worked with Mr. Mellark? I should tell Peeta one of these days.

"What you smiling at!" my mom said jokingly.

"Oh nothing. Just something on my mind."

I turn red and run upstairs to undress myself into my sweatpants and a tank. And begin my homework. Recently, it's been hard trying to stay on top of things. My mom said I should do homework in a group to get through it faster. I'm not the student type where I like to do homework with other students. Personally, I get more done by myself.

Later that afternoon, I get a text message from Marvel.

_Hey Cato, wonderin' if you could meet up with me later tonight? _

I get nervous. Another confrontation? It's seriously none of his business to question me like that. So, I lie.

_Can't, dude. I'm booked with homework. Plus, my mom wouldn't let me out with this workload I got._

He replies back quickly.

_Ok. I'll talk to you tomorrow then._

Great. So, I'll have to get the talk from him at school? I have to avoid him tomorrow. There's no way he's speaking to me in public on that subject. Even so, I have nothing to say to him. Nothing's changed. I stop thinking about it because every time I do, I get distracted and it affects my work. I tend to do this a lot. I avoid situations and thoughts like those to stay concentrated. It's just how I function.

The next day during chemistry, I walk in and notice that Peeta hadn't arrived yet. It wasn't until halfway through class; he came in with a note. He looked flushed. Exhausted, and if you looked closely, it looked like he had dry tears around his eyes. _What's wrong with him?_ I give him a concerned look when he sits down. He smiles back at me, but immediately, it turns into a frown and he looks down.

I didn't want to bother him. It looked like something bad had happened to him. Could explain why he entered late.

As the day went on, I couldn't get his face out of my head. Again, I manipulate my thoughts and reason with myself that I was only thinking about him because of the way he looked this morning. I get to lunch and sit down looking in the direction of where Peeta sits.

He eats slowly and looking remorseful. I was just about to get up when Marvel sits down at the table.

"Hey Cato!" he spoke.

"Oh hey, Marvel!" I say sounding content. "Glimmer, looking like a whore as usual," I say jokingly.

"Oh, fuck off Cato," she giggles.

Marvel begins eating his lunch and keeps making eye contact with me. I don't stare back, but I can see his eyes shifting toward me every so often. Probably checking to see if he can catch me staring at Peeta. Instead, I do my homework when I finish my lunch.

"Cato! Are you going later on today?" shouted Clove from behind me. She sits down next to me and I see Katniss and Gale following, sitting down as well.

"Uh-h. Where to?" I ask.

"You didn't tell him, Marvel?" yelled Clove.

"I was going to, but it hadn't crossed my mind today!" he yelled back.

"You forgot to invite him to your own party tonight? Seriously," Clove spoke looking annoyed.

Another one of Marvel's parties. He usually has one kicking off the start of the school year. This one came a bit later than usual.

"Oh I don't know. It's Friday, and I've had a long week," I say. "Plus, I'm not in the drinking mood."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want you in the drinking mood," spoke Marvel.

We exchange glances and we both immediately know what he meant by that. I give him a look illustrating not to talk about it here. Involuntarily, I roll my eyes and stare at Peeta for a split second and Marvel catches my quick glance at him. I see him stare at me then looks back at Peeta confirming his suspicion.

I needed to set things straight with him. His party is definitely the wrong place and the wrong time. Annoyed by his previous comment about him not seeing me drunk, I lie again.

"I'll catch you guys later."

"Where you going?" said Clove.

"Uh, I need to get some help in chemistry from a friend of mine," I lied. _Help? In chemistry?_ Right away, they knew I was lying, but I started walking away already.

Peeta sees me walking toward him and he smiles at me. His blond hair looks much better from earlier. Combed a bit, and the skin around his eyes have returned to a normal state. Still though, he loses his smile and looks down at his notebook.

"Hey, Peeta!" I smile.

"Hi, Cato," he says softly.

We exchange glances and I see him getting red. I ask him a question before I start blushing.

"You okay? I saw you this morning in chem and you looked a bit sad," I said.

"I'm okay. Just a bit overwhelmed but I'm fine," he said.

"You sure? You could talk to me about anything," I say desperately trying to convince him that I'm here for him and he can talk to me.

"It's a bit personal to be honest. Better left unsaid."

"Well, I'm here for you, okay? I consider you my friend," I said.

"Ha, thanks. Pretty sure you're the only one who would think that but I appreciate it," he said unapologetically.

"Why would you say that?"

"C'mon, Cato. I sit by myself. I know no one in this school. It's been a week, and the only people I've shared a conversation with is you and my guidance counselor," Peeta speaks looking at me.

I stare into his eyes. They inhibit me from talking. We exchange this glance for a few seconds and he's the first one to look down. Something is definitely going on in his life, and I definitely don't like seeing him this way. He turned red and starts to sweat a bit. I notice his hand shaking while he jots down chemical equations. I surprise myself with my next move.

I grab his hand.

He looks up at me with his eyes shifting from my hand to my eyes. My heart is racing and I feel a sense of nervousness coming on. I use my every bit of strength and try not to stutter.

"Peeta, would you mind if I sit with you from now on?"

His depressed face manages to reveal a smile underneath the emotions. At this moment, I feel my heart slow down. I keep holding his hand waiting for an answer.

"You don't have to do that, Cato. You have your group of friends you sit with. Don't ditch them for me. One of us has to have friends."

"I want to ditch them," I say honestly.

"You're something else," he says smiling at me. I let go of his hand and he laughs delicately. His laugh sounds almost sensitive and his voice turns to an angelic impression. "Suit yourself," he whispers.

We exchange a few more glances and catch each other smiling.

I turn around towards my previous table and I catch Marvel staring at me. Quickly, he turns his face back and conversates with the others like nothing happened. He makes me realize the emotions I hide from the others, which brings up the elusive question of my sexuality. _Am I straight?_ Yes. No. I don't know. How can I be straight if I've never been attracted to a girl before? How can I be gay if I've never been attracted to a guy anymore? What does it mean to be attracted to another person? Am I attracted to Peeta? All of these questions make me nervous. I set them aside. At this moment, I just want to be a friend to Peeta.

But Peeta isn't just a friend. He's the only person who makes my heart race. The only other thing that can do that is a chemistry exam. I let out a smirk because of my thoughts and Peeta catches me and laughs softly once again.

He's the only person that makes my heart slow down as well. A friend doesn't do that without trying. These thoughts are killing me. I must find a way to pack them away in my head. This time, I can't manage to make them leave my mind.

The bell rings and I start to head to my next class. "See ya in English?" he spoke smiling at me.

I smile back. "Uh-h, ye-yeah," I stutter embarrassingly. He smirks as I let out a smile and walk away.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! Sorry it took me long to update this one. I've been caught up with work, but I managed to finish it!

It's the longest chapter so far! I plan on making longer chapters though, so if you can't get enough, don't worry.

I'll also be updating faster next time. :)

Please review and comment! I appreciate your love and I feel great that you guys are enjoying this story. :]

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Chapter 4

It's getting pretty late and I'm so lost and confused. 12:45 a.m. Shit. I have to do something! This is due tomorrow. Why hadn't I exchanged numbers with Peeta? It's a pretty dumb thing to not do considering we're lab partners. I could search for him on Facebook? Meh. That'd probably lead to more distractions.

Worth a shot.

I log onto Facebook and ignore my notifications. I go to the search bar. _Peeta Mellark_. Only one result came up. Not surprised. His name is pretty unique. I click on it. _Fuck_. It's on private. I hope he won't think I'm a creeper if I add him at this time of night. So, I click add as friend.

I look at this profile picture. _He looks pretty adorable_. It's a picture of him and another boy. I'm assuming it's his brother but I'm not even sure if he has siblings. It hasn't even been a minute since I added him and I get the notification.

_Peeta Mellark accepted your friend request. 0 mutual friends in common._

I refresh the page, and I'm looking at Peeta's profile. I don't know why, but the first thing I went to was his info and I saw that he's single. I break out a smile.

_Cato, omg, thank goodness you're online, _said Peeta in the chat messenger.

_Ha, I was just about to message you. You stuck?_

_Yeah, man! I'm so lost. _

_Well, let's get through this together. _

About an hour later through chat, we manage to finish our lab report. After we finished, we managed to get in a conversation.

_So, how was your day? _Asked Peeta.

_Uneventful. Like most evenings. Lol._

_Sounds better than mine. :\_

_Why, what happened…?_

_It's a long story. I rather not explain it through chat. _

_How about we talk about it tomorrow._

_Deal._

I say I'm going to bed, but I make myself invisible and continue to browse through his profile. I go through his info again. _Sex: male. Relationship status: single. _That's it for that section. Then, that thought goes into my mind. _Hm… there's no "Interested in:" section._ I have this stupid theory that if guys don't have that information available on their profile, I automatically assume they're gay. _Why does it matter?_ _Aren't you supposed to be straight? _The thought makes itself into my head surreptitiously.

I avoid the thought once again.

I can't sleep. Ugh. I hate it when this happens. Last thing I remember is checking my phone's clock. 3:15 a.m.

I arrive with a coffee in my hand in chemistry. I down it, and I turn in my lab report. I sit down next to Peeta who looks equally exhausted. However, I don't notice it. I stare into his blue eyes while walking to my seat. His blond hair is messy again. He looks up and catches me staring at him again. He smiles.

I start blushing but quickly cover it up and ask him, "What time you went to bed?"

"Around 2:30 a.m. Couldn't get to bed really quickly. A lot on my mind," murmurs Peeta. He's taciturn the rest of class. I wonder what's wrong with him? Is it family problems? Who knows? I'm determined to get the story out of him at lunch.

I enter lunch and Mr. Abernathy is on his castigation rampage once again. He yells at me for arriving late to lunch. _Really? _I furtively manage to slip by unnoticed past Clove, Glimmer, Marvel, Gale, and Katniss. Peeta's sitting at the table already, and I get arrive and set my books down.

"Oh, you weren't lying to me," spoke Peeta.

"What?" I ask.

"When you said that you would rather sit with me than your other friends. I thought you were just saying that to make me feel better," muttered Peeta.

"Why would I lie about that?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm used to that feeling."

I timidly look at him. I'm definitely not that kind of person. Most people believe I have the personalities similar to those who sit with me at lunch. Glimmer and Clove can be your dictionary definition of the word bitch. Marvel and Katniss share that quality that will tell you things straight up. _They keep it real_. Gale's a rather difficult person to decipher. Most people think he's stuck up. The truth is that he is. He can be a dick. He can be a real friend. He uses his privileged life as an excuse to be kind of person he is.

"I'm not like that, Peeta. What I meant last Friday was real," I reveal.

He smiles. He purses his lips in a way that makes my heart speed up. _Stop that_ I think. He maintains eye contact with my and I can't hold it in any longer. I blush like a red tomato. I smile and laugh softly. I break the eye contact and look at my books.

"Thanks, Cato," he finally says.

I look up and stare into his eyes. His blond hair is in much better condition than it was earlier in the day. _Like he never came in disheartened._ He runs his fingers through his hair, smiles once again and looks down while biting his lip. _Oh my._

His sex is on fire right now. I can feel this tingle down my spine and I realize that I've never felt this before in my life. What is this? I stare at my books, opening my math homework and begin my homework. I occasionally look up and we catch each other staring at one another and slyly look down like it never happened. He sticks out his tongue and lips the corner of his lips while he thinks. This feeling. What is it? _Oh._

_I want him._ It can't be this. I don't know what to think. My head is clouded and I feel flushed again. My body temperature increases and I take off my sweater that I'm wearing. Accidently, my t-shirt sticks to my sweater and I'm sure Peeta saw some of my abdomen. _Oops. _

I catch him staring at my torso and looks down again. We manage to stay quiet for about half of the period until I remember.

"Peeta," I whisper.

"What's been going on lately?"

"I'm sorry?" he asks.

"The last two times I've seen you, you've looked...depressed."

"It's a long and personal story."

"Well, I'm here for you. Do you want to talk about it?"

The bell rings and he his face remains flat. "Maybe later?"

I nod and we go off to our classes.

When English roles around, I see him walk in and takes his seat next to Glimmer. _I should probably give him my phone number _I think. It'd be easier for both of us whenever we need help on homework.

I don't pay attention in class again. I keep gazing at the back of Peeta's head. His blond hair, and shoulders are all I stare at. He turns his head around towards me. I quickly reposition myself and stare at the board. I see a smirk on his face. I blush. _This is getting out of hand._ He's always doing this to me. I don't know what else to think. My head clouds with a myriad of thoughts.

At the end of school, I see him walk up to me by my locker.

"I finally got a locker assignment!" he smiles. "Can you help me look for it?"

"What's the locker number?"

"1320."

We walk down the hall. I see Marvel in the distance putting some books in his locker. _It's going to be next to his._ _I know it._ I look at Peeta to see his reaction. He looks nonchalant as we arrive at 1320. Right next to Marvel's locker.

"Hey Cato!" smiles Marvel. He does our usual handshake. He then turns to Peeta. "You're that new kid right? I don't think I've introduced myself. I'm Marvel. A long time good friend of Cato, here!"

He shakes hands with Peeta.

"I'm Peeta! Yeah, I moved here from the Capitol almost 2 weeks ago. My locker's 1320 which happens to be right next to yours!"

Marvel's eyebrows rise as he smiles. He stares at Peeta briefly then moves his eyes over toward me.

"Well then, looks like we're going to be good neighbors and hopefully good friends as well!" smiled Marvel.

"Ha, yeah I hope so!" laughs Peeta.

They exchange more laughs and smiles and other introductory information as I depart back to my own locker. _What is this feeling?_ My smile has left, and I feel indifferent. My heart's rising a bit and I notice my hands won't keep still. _You're jealous_.

No. I refuse to believe that. I mean, c'mon. Why would I be jealous? Because his locker is next to Marvel? _That's so dumb_.

I gather my books and head out the door of the building. Of course I can't find my mom. She's probably still at work. Looks like I'm walking home again. I sit at the bench waiting for five more minutes in hope that she'll show up. I look at my phone. 3:40 pm. Fuck this, I'm walking home.

"Cato!"

I hear the all too familiar voice that's been in my head for the last week.

"Hey Peeta!" I smile back at him.

"I see why you're friends with Marvel! He's pretty hilarious!" he smiles while laughing. I see his blue eyes staring at me. I get a sense of feeling that his depressed look has left him.

"Yeah, he can be pretty wild," I mutter.

He looks at his face and I feel that he got the sense of something.

"Something wrong?"

"Eh, nothing. I just have to walk home again because my mother is nowhere to be found," I lie. _Yes, there's something wrong. And no, I can't describe it._

"Mind if I walk with you? My dad is always working late as well. And my mother is always busy at the bakery," he says.

I remember. My mom said she works with Mr. Mellark. I avoid that connection.

"A bakery? Sounds pretty nice!" I say

"Yeah, we own it! I occasionally work there when I'm free with homework and such. You have to come sometime! I make pretty tasty croissants!" he smiles.

I notice that as we're both walking, he's shorter than I thought. Every time he talks to me, his head shifts ever so slightly upwards to make eye contact. And as the wind blows, he keeps bringing his hand over to manage his hair. I get lost in the illusions and I feel my heart flutter. _Oh boy, here it goes._ I make myself stop halfway in my blushing by looking forward; avoiding eye contact.

He stares up at me and smiles. I'm having a hard time trying to decode his expressions. Maybe he has some sort of feelings for me as well. I let my emotions get to me and I ask him for his number on accident.

"So, we should exchange phone numbers, you know," I mutter. "For homework purposes," I quickly add in.

"Yeah, that'd be nice," he smiles. We stop at corner near a bus stop. We exchange numbers and continue walking.

"Are you busy tomorrow?" asked Peeta. I look his questionable expression.

"Probably just homework, what's up?"

"You want to come over? Maybe we can do some homework and you can try some of our bakery items," he laughs. I couldn't help myself, but I put up the cheesiest smile I've ever shown.

"I'd like that!" I giggle while maintaining my composure.

"Sweet," he says in the most beautiful sounding voice. _Wow_. "So, I'll text you later then?"

"Yeah," I mutter. I get lost in his eyes for a second and I manage to hear what he says next.

"So, I live down this street. Catch ya soon?" he asks?

"U-uh, Y-yeah!" I stutter.

He smiles and shows his teeth as he turns around and crosses the street while hurryingly along his way.

Later that night, while attempting my treacherous calculus homework, I get a text message. I couldn't find my phone right away, but all I was hoping for was a text message from Peeta.

I find it under my clothes on my bed. _False_. It's from Marvel.

_Cato, we gotta talk soon. You and I both know why_.

_Why Marvel? _I reply.

I wait like 30 seconds to get another message.

_Because of the way you look at him. I don't think you've even told him. Cato, I think both me and him deserve a truth be told…_

The way I look at him? What? How can he assume how I look at him when the only times he has seen me with him is at lunch and at his locker?

_Marvel, I don't think you know what you're talking about_.

He replies.

_Whatever, Cato. I'm not dropping this, just so you know. Goodnight._

He doesn't know what he's talking about, I think. But I know he has a point. The way I look at him. Every time I see his face, I get lost. I feel like I'm on cloud 9. His eyes, his hair, his jaw, his smile. I lose myself with him. My heart starts to race. I put my hands on my face and I lay my head down on my desk. And at that moment, I feel the table vibrate. Another text. _Just drop it, Marvel_.

_Just wanted to say goodnight, Cato! See you tomorrow! :]_

My heart doesn't stop racing for the rest of the night. I get up, lay on my bed, and then turn off the light. I grab my phone and reply,

_Goodnight, Peeta. :)_


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys!

Forgive me for the long wait on this chapter! My life's been a bit hectic lately but it's finally starting to get back to normal!

I promise to update much faster! :)

I enjoyed writing this chapter the most thus far! I hope you like it! It really introduces new feelings and the next step in many characters.

Comment/Review! I enjoy reading everyone's opinions. You guys are funny and great. :P

* * *

Chapter 5

Waking up the next day was difficult. I hardly got any sleep, and I kept looking at my phone awaiting a text from Peeta or Marvel. I don't know why I'm letting this get to me. It's starting to affect my work ethic. I need to set things straight with Marvel. It's never going to leave my mind unless I settle things with him.

"Mom?" I shout.

No reply, of course. Either she got home late and left early, or she never came home at all. No breakfast for me. I have no time. I'm already running late. How typical of me. I hate it when this house is alone. Clove hardly sleeps in the house anymore. Ever since my step dad got a new house across town, she rather live there. After all, she's a spoiled brat and he sure does the spoiling for her. I don't understand why my mother doesn't divorce him. I could care less. He's become irrelevant.

I step out the door and pop in my headphones and walk to school while listening to music. It's getting cold. So I zip up my zipper and pull my hood up over my head. I walk with my hands in my pocket. _Shit, it's cold. _

All of a sudden, I hear some footsteps behind me. I'm alarmed and ready to push someone when this person pulls my hoodie down to reveal my radiating head with heat.

I turn around. I smirk, and let out the biggest _holy shit_ gasp.

"Damn, Peeta, you almost made me piss in my pants!" I yell.

"I was hoping for that," he laughs. We begin walking to school together. He's a little bit more prepared for the weather than me. He's wearing a nice black coat, gloves, and a little beanie. Interestingly, he's also wearing glasses.

"I didn't know you wore glasses," I ask.

"My contacts were irritating this morning, so I decided to go to school with these."

"Well, you look nice," I say.

He smiles at me. "Ha, thanks."

As we walk, the random thought of his depressed looks a week ago pops into my head. I wanted to ask, but he seems happy today. Maybe he'll want to talk about it?

"Hey, Peeta."

"Yeah?"

"Remember last week, you came into chem with messy hair, and what looked like eyes that just cried," I mutter.

"Uh-h. Yeah," he murmurs.

"Want to talk about it?"

"It's sort of a long and personal story," he sighs.

"Well, if it helps talking about it to make me feel better, I'm all ears," I say.

He ponders on my words and remains taciturn the rest of the way to school. His facial expression looks reserved, and I'm beginning to think of the reasons as to which why he was miserable looking that day. _Maybe I'm overreacting. _Maybe I'm not. If it weren't a big deal, then he would say it's not a big deal. This is one thing I need resolved. It's been too long to figure out Peeta Mellark.

During passing periods, I would sporadically bump into Marvel. The first time, I decided to be a nice fella, wave and say hi to him. But, he would look back at me like he was agitated. He obviously doesn't want to communicate with me as if nothing were wrong. I need to figure out Marvel as well. Why is this becoming such an overriding feeling?

Lunch rolls along and I avoid Marvel and the others. I go sit with Peeta who was reading a book. _Gosh, he's so cute when he's concentrated_. No. I can't keep meeting these thoughts if I don't know what to think of him first.

"Hey-a, Peet!"

His eyes meet me at front, and his jaw line squares ever so elegantly as he smiles up to me.

"Mr. Cato," he giggles.

He sets his book down. As I gather my stuff to set up on the table, I occasionally look up to see his rekindled expressions. He doesn't look up, so I stare into his eyes a few times. It's something about his eyes that makes him other than standard. I get out my calculus homework as he lifts his eyebrows up. He begins to bite his lip. _Stop. _

I look down immediately, and I squirm in my seat. He looks so comfortable, so at ease with his body. Then there's me. All gawky, uncoordinated, nerdy, and nervous.

"What you thinking?" Peeta asks.

I look up. _Shit. _He must have picked up on my flushed, expressive look. My voice is quiet, breathy. I simply smile.

"Just trying to get through this math," I mutter.

"You barely started!"

"It's pretty difficult!" I laugh. He smiles and goes back to his work. He knows I'm hiding something. I glance at him, and our eyes meet. He gives me an encouraging but wry smile. Then, some words leave his mouth.

"You're a mystery, Cato," he says. "Sometimes, I wonder what you might be thinking."

"Likewise," I laugh. "There's nothing mysterious about me."

"I find you self-contained," he murmurs.

Am I? What? This is bewildering. Me, self-contained? _No way._

"Except, when you blush of course," he says, smiles, then looks down.

_Oh my god. _I feel a rush of blood to my face. As if on cue, I blush massively. I let out a shyly looking smile.

"Sometimes I wish you'd tell me what you're blushing about."

_You, _I think. He goes into his pocket, takes out a piece of gum, and pops it into his mouth. He looks at me in a way that I comprehend as seductively. _Crap._

I get myself together.

"Well, Peeta. You're not the only one with questions. You can be quite mystifying as well."

He looks at me, and catches on to what I'm referring to.

"And I know what you're insinuating," he muttered.

"Cato, I may look happy at school, but at home, it's slightly a different story."

I give him an empathetic expression, and I look at him. He's face becomes paralyzed.

"What's going on, Peet."

He looks up to me and his eyes portray a dry look, and he peers down at me.

"It's difficult," he mumbles. "And I don't think I'm ready to tell this to anyone."

_Shit_. Peeta has something. The way he's talking, the eyes, and his smile are all taken away in this moment. He really hasn't told anyone this. I begin to wonder what it is. Abuse? Rape? I can't even think anymore.

"Go on, Peeta. I'm here no matter what," I say.

His face takes a moment to look around the room as if he was searching for eavesdroppers.

"This happened about 4 months ago. Believe it or not, I'm still anguish."

He sighs.

"My mom confronted me on a phone bill. Apparently we racked up 100 bucks over in fees. She looked it over with me and asked whom I'd been calling? I lied at that moment, but she requested a phone number list from which all of us called or received. She figured out at that moment it was me who went over. She didn't tell me at the time, but she called the phone number and found out it was my then friend."

He looks at me awaiting an expression. I remain blank.

"Anyways, this friend of mine and I were very close. It just so happened I was unaware that I was going over. Over time, my mom would harass me on the phone calls I made."

"Wait, what's your friends name?" I asked. He looks at me in eerie. He bites his lip briefly before muttering a name.

"Finnick."

He begins to look a bit uncomfortable. He looks at me. I believe I had a blank face with no emotion, but he says, "I know what you're thinking, Cato."

"I'm not thinking anything. I'm just listening, waiting to hear where the problem is."

"You didn't get it, didn't you," he mutters.

"Didn't get what?"

"You couldn't pick up on the story?" he said.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Peeta."

"Cato," he says. He fidgets in his seat and puts his hands on his face. "The reason my life was miserable at home back then was because my mom started to call me a faggot when she found out the person I would constantly talk to on the phone was actually a guy."

_Oh. _I try to hide my emotions. Even so, I don't know what to think of this. How cruel could it be to be called a faggot by your own mother? I don't know what to say.

"I ignored her derogatory comments for the time being. It wasn't until Finnick came over one day to work on homework. We were completely fine until he called my name up, and kissed me."

At this point, I was getting nervous at the fact that he would eventually tell me that he's gay. I fix my hair, and I look into his eyes illustrating that it was okay.

"But you wouldn't guess who walked in on us," Peeta reveals.

_Fuck._ I move my head, and he nods in agreement. His mom.

"She walked in. The kiss was fairly brief, but she managed to see our lips locked," he murmured. His expression is completely unreadable. My mouth is dry. Then, I ask him without any conscientious thoughts.

"Were you kissing him back?"

"To be honest, Cato. I don't really know. It was…very sudden and quick."

I shift in my seat. Now, I'm moving uncomfortably. He narrows his eyes, and looks at me, raising his eyebrows. I cannot depict his emotions at the moment. I look at my watch, and turn my head around to look at the table with Marvel and the rest of the gang. They seem to be ignoring us. _Good._

I look back at Peeta. His facial expressions are now undeniable. He's worried. _More like nervous_.

"So, what happened?" I ask.

With hesitation, he continues briefly.

"My mom kicked him out, and she started to beat me."

Seriously? What the fuck? That caught me off guard.

"I stayed in my room for the rest of the night. My dad got home, but I'm assuming he was never told. He probably still doesn't even know that even happened. A couple days later, my mom withdrew me a couple of weeks before the last day of school. I thought it was pretty redundant."

He signs. "And that was that. We eventually moved and I was enrolled here."

The bell rings. Almost immediately, Peeta grabs his books and walks away without saying anything else. I sit there in despair. Empathetic. Confused. I had more questions for him. I think some of them are better left unsaid, but it'll kill me if I don't find out. Maybe I'll bring it up later. Right now, he's vulnerable and depressed. I want to help him. I don't know how though.

The rest of the day was usual. Although, Peeta avoided eye contact with me in English. I guess he rather keep it to himself for the rest of the day. I see him at his locker from a distant. It looked like Marvel tried talking to him but he ignored him pretty obviously.

I wait outside for 10 minutes waiting for my mom to pick me up. As usual, she doesn't. I begin to walk home when I hear Clove shouting my name.

"Cato, Dad texted me saying to come to dinner at his house one of these days. It's been a while since you last saw him," she muttered.

"I'm pretty busy, Clove. I'll see if I can," I say hesitantly.

"He's right, Cato. It's been a long time since we last sat down and had dinner together. Lately, you've looked different," she says. "Anything going on?"

"Just school. The same thing that's ran my life for the last 18 years."

"Well, it's time for a change. Make some time, Cato. We miss you," she shouts while walking away. "The old you."

The old me? Seriously? I've been acting different? Yes, I admit these last 2 weeks have been quite unique in itself that I normally don't go through something new like a _new_ friend. Marvel, Glimmer, Clove, and the rest have been my good friends for years now. Peeta is my only new friend since, like, freshman year. Maybe I should find time and eat lunch with them again, at the very least. It will give Peeta some space? It seemed like he needed it after he told me his story.

I start walking home, and I see Peeta up ahead waiting for the city bus. Where's he off?

"Peeta?" I ask.

"Hey," he says sounding annoying. He pulls off the headphones from his ears and pauses his music.

"Where you off to?" I ask.

"I don't really know. The library, perhaps."

"Why?"

"I need some place to think, maybe do some homework. I just don't want to go home."

That doesn't surprise me. Before I can question him on his motives, he interrupts my train of thought.

"Why do you care?" he asks.

_What?_ Now, I get really confused. Why is he mad at me? I made no comment or gave no opinion to him. This is hard to process. Here I am foolishly thinking that I can be able to talk to him. Make him feel better.

"Because you're my friend, Peeta."

He shakes his head, looks down at his phone. He remains reserved and unforthcoming. I try to decipher his thoughts. Why would he be agitated with me? I am quaking like a leaf, nervous at his next emotional attitude toward me. I pull my zipper from my coat up, and look around, avoid eye contact with him. He then looks at me. Coaxing me from apprehension to relief. He lets out a smirk, and his eyes flutter looking back down at his lap.

"Sorry, Cato. You really are trying to be a friend," Peeta reluctantly says. "Thing is—I've never anyone about this. Not my dad, not my siblings, not even my dog." He giggles and finally let's out a smile. My heart starts to speed up.

"Maybe this is why I don't make friends that easily."

I look into his bold blue eyes. His hair moves as the wind picks up and he too pulls his coat closer together. He crosses is legs and his pushes feet underneath the bench. His starts tapping his foot with the black converse that he's wearing. Rolling up his headphones around his iPod, stuffing his hands into his pockets, he looks up at me.

"Forgive me?" He lets out a half-smile, making deep eye contact with me. _He means it._

I let out my hand, waiting his to meet mine. We shake hands. "You are forgiven." I smile back and he gives out the cheesiest smile I've seen from him thus far. I grasp his hand, and pull him suddenly off the bench, and start running away. Quickly, he catches up to me and tackles me to the grass along the sidewalk. With our backs on the floor, chests to the sky, we begin laughing. He turns his head to the side. I turn mine to meet his. This eye contact is too much for me. _Oh fuck._ I can't help it. I start to blush like red tomato. I don't know my feelings right now, and I'm sure he doesn't either. I quickly look away, looking up at the sky.

I hear Peeta move his head as well.

"Uh-h. Well, I guess I should be going," said Peeta.

"The library?"

"Dunno. Perhaps. I have loads of homework."

I look him again. He starts to get back up. He helps me up as well, grabs his backpack and starts to walk away. That's when I stop him.

"Peet."

"Yeah?"

I don't know what possessed me to say this. My mind is telling me to let him go. You don't know how you feel about this particular friendship. You don't know if he's gay. Hell, I don't even know if I'm gay. There's just something about him that I can't explain. Either way, something overpowers my mind and I start to speak.

"Want to come over to my house? My mother's never home, and uh-h, well we can work on homework. Oh! I also have food!" I exclaim.

He looks at me and smiles. I could gaze at him all day. He starts walking up to me. His face meets me at the height of my neck.

"I would love to come over," he whispers. I smile back with teeth, and all I let out is, "Cool!"

We start walking towards the direction of my house. We gossip about school, and other things. All I can do is smile and look at him. My heart starts speeding up just at the sound of his voice. How am I ever going to contain myself? I just invited him to my house. _He's going to notice, Cato._ This was a pretty stupid idea of mine. I need to get myself together.

I start to bite my lip.

_Oh boy._


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry this took way to long to publish! I was out of town and did not have time to update sooner. However, I'm back and excited to continue writing this story!

I feel like it's finally progressing and I think you will enjoy it ;)

Your reviews and comments are ever so much appreciated! feel free to leave your opinion! :)

**Also, I'm taking suggestions! **Anything you would like to see happen, more character involvement, anything really. Feel free to tell me! I could manage to include it in the story :)

To make up for my absence, I've made a summary of the previous chapter to get y'all up to speed. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

_Previous Chapter: Cato walks to school unexpectedly bumping into Peeta on his way there. Cato confronts Peeta of his emotional situation at home. Cato notices Marvel ignorance towards him during school. A flustered Cato indirectly flirts with Peeta before Peeta explains the situation with his mother because of a kiss with another boy named Finnick. Cato notices Peeta at the bus stop and invites him to his house instead to wherever he was planning to go._

Chapter 6

"Mom?"

No response.

"Nice home!" Peeta says.

"Ha, thanks. It doesn't feel like home though. I'm usually alone most of the time. Ever since my stepdad and Clove moved out, my mom has been working longer shifts in order to make more money. Certainly lost its touch," I sigh.

Peeta stares at me and pats me on my back. "I kind of know that feeling."

We walk into my kitchen and offer Peeta something small to eat.

"Want some yogurt? It's all I've got," I say.

He giggles and nods his head. He takes a seat on the table, and I grab bottled waters and set them on the table. He has messy hair. He looks like a derp opening the yogurt with his hair like that. I smile like a little girl receiving a pony for her birthday. He stares back.

"What you smiling at?" Peeta asks while licking his spoon with yogurt.

_You_.

I laugh and say nothing. I right away I offer to show him the rest of the house. I try not to look at him that much. I don't want an episode of massive blushing, increased heart rate, and sweating occurring in my own sanctuary.

We go to my room and set our books on my bed. I sit at my desk and turn on my computer. He sits, opening his bag taking out a couple of books.

"Shall we get to work?" he mutters.

"Yes, let's get this done!"

After about 2 hours of hardcore chemistry and English homework, we decide to take a break.

"Man, I've got a headache!" Peeta gasps.

"You're not alone! After all those tedious and redundant chemistry problems, I'm pretty sure I'm ready to kill Mrs. Everdeen."

He laughs and smiles. I look away.

I hear a text message tone and realize it wasn't my phone. I turn to see Peeta texting back someone. _Hm._

"Who you texting?" I ask curiously.

Looking alarmed, he looks up while putting his phone back in his pocket.

"Oh, just my Dad wondering where I was at," he says fairly quickly. "I hadn't told anyone I wasn't coming home today."

"Ah, okay," I say briefly.

I get up and stretch. Unconsciously, I stretch my arms upwards and I feel my shirt pulls up too. _You did this on purpose_. My inner conscious thinks at my intentions. My body has taken over. I stare from the corner of my eyes and I notice Peeta looking surreptitiously at me. He bites his lip fleetingly. _Cato, stop._

I sit down on the bed right next to him and fall on my back staring at the ceiling. I notice Peeta is sitting still with his hands folded over each other, silently shaking his feet. He runs his hand through his hair and he too finally falls back onto the bed. My heart is definitely racing right now. I have my hands on my chest, fiddling with my shirt, trying to get myself together.

"Must be nice to be graduating this year," he murmurs. "I wish I was graduating with you. I don't think I can make it through the rest of high school by myself."

I turn my head and look at him. I smile and giggle a little. "Peet, sometimes I forget that you're a sophomore. You're so mature, mellow, and quiet, I'm sure most people would think you're a senior," I share. "And you'll make it. Because you're strong. You're a fighter and you learned not to take shit from anyone. Even if some of those people include your own mother. If you can take your mom's derogative, shameful comments, then you can take anyone's and not let it get to you."

He smiles back and looks back at the ceiling.

"It's not as easy as you think it is," said Peeta while he moves his head to meet my eyes on our sides.

"Enlighten me."

"It's a difficult situation, Cato. Sometimes, I don't feel comfortable talking about it with myself."

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I will always be here to listen," I say softly. I smile at him and I see his eyes flutter. My body aches. I tense up as I move my head away. Those eyes of him are the trigger inside me. It's becoming intensely more difficult to hold myself back. Oh, how I could just kiss him right now.

What am I thinking? He has not came out to me. I haven't come out yet. I don't even think I'm gay. Yet, I feel like I'm falling in love with Peeta. But, I cannot ignore these feelings that are building inside exponentially.

"Cato, my mother threatens me. If I were to ever bring a boyfriend home, she'll kick him out, beat me up and probably kick me out as well. I don't even want to think of what will happen if my dad finds out about what happened. I get scared, you know?"

"That'll never happen, Peeta. Besides, you said that kiss was an accident. It never meant to happen. You're not gay."

I turn my head towards his. I meet his eyes. They stir in an unknown sea of fear and rejection. He turns his head away from mine and looks the other way.

"Are you?" I finally ask. Feeling anxious, I move my body closer to his. I'm on cruise control now. I grab his shoulder and turn him toward me. He turns his face toward the ceiling, avoiding my face. I get a defensive feeling that he's ignoring me or he may be mad that I asked him that question. My tone of voice wasn't even hostile. It was a simple question. _A question I wanted to ask._

I shift my body away from his to give him space, and I turn my body and stare at the ceiling. It felt like an eternity. I wanted to make him feel comfortable. Make him feel safe. I turn my head towards him.

"Peet—"

I'm cut off. I'm caught by surprise. My heart is beating faster than it ever has before. I'm sweating. Wincing, I open my eyes, and I see the sight that I longed for. Peeta grabbed my face and started kissing me on the lips. The sweet, exquisite feeling I've longed for. The kiss is as perfect as a first kiss could ever be. He slowly pulls away from my lips as I look into his blue eyes. They're the color of the sky. True blue. I sigh and breathe in deeply. He blinks at me, truly bewildered.

"Sorry, I—" He stutters. He gets up from the bed and starts moving away. I don't let him. I grab his arm, and he turns his face to meet mine. "Don't be," I murmur.

He smiles and I caress his face.

"Cato, you're not gay. I've gotten the time to get to know you. Trust me, these feelings are just fucking with you. You don't deserve a mess like me. I'm beat up and confused, I—" This time, I cut him off.

"Peeta. Stop. You're right. I'm not gay. But I've gotten the time to get to know you. You're the only person that makes my heart speed up and slow down at the same time. You make me nervous. You make me happy. You make my life worthwhile. I don't know what I am. But, gay or not, Peeta, I think I've fallen for you."

He stares at me, bewildered again. He sighs and runs his hands through his hair again. He expression pulls me closer. I squirm under his intense gaze.

"Cato, you beguile me." He looks down then back up to meet my eyes and half smiles, showing his teeth. I smirk. I feel flustered as he starts to lean in towards me. We sit at the edge of my bed as he starts to caress my face. His hand gently touches my face and my heart starts racing a million beats per minute. I look down to grab his hand and look up into his eyes. _Finally_.

We lean in in synchronization and our lips meet once again. First our lips touch as I start to move my hand behind his head slowly moving my fingers through his soft hair. We start to kiss passionately and my body has taken over completely. I no longer have self-control. I have a need to fulfill. The only desire my body has wanted in weeks. A long, meaningful, delicately passionate kiss from Peeta Mellark.

We continue to kiss. His hand embraces my hair and pulls me closer to him. At this moment, I couldn't help myself. My mouth opens to meet his tongue. So sweet I think. I pull our bodies closer and I feel a surge of hormones rushing through my body. The desire for more increased. He begins to slow down and gently begins pushing me away. Needing to catch his breath, his lips leave mine and our foreheads meet looking down onto our connection by the hands. I let go of his hand. I must've held it pretty tight as his entire hand and wrist flood with blood as circulation is restored.

My eyes shift forward and I catch Peeta looking down still, sighing heavily, then looks up to meet my eyes and laughs. I too can't help myself as we begin to laugh and smile at each other as a feeling of enchantment takes over. I begin to feel warm. The feeling is so right.

Still speechless, his body language screams for attention. Illustrating a beg for more.

I start regaining conscious control of my body and begin to contain myself. I get up from my bed and begin to pace around the room. I go to the window and look out at the night sky. I feel Peeta come from behind me. I turn around to meet his eyes.

"Why me, Cato?" He asks. "You're such a handsome, smart, hard-working guy. You could have anyone you want. Guy or girl. I'm a mess. You wouldn't want to be with me," he murmurs.

I grab his hand and stare at him. I plant a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Nothing else matters. I want to be with you, Peeta. That's about all I know at this time," I mutter.

He smiles. I smile. I tug on his shirt, pull him closer to me, and we kiss briefly again.

The kiss is cut short. We both pull away from each other when we hear a door closing from downstairs.

_Shit._

"I think my mom's home," I whisper.

"What should we do?" Peeta whispers anxiously. I glance around the room. My mom doesn't know I have company over. My thoughts are cut short when I hear my name.

"Cato, honey, you upstairs?"

I glance back at Peeta.

"Quick, act like we were doing homework," I whisper.

"Yeah, ma." I yell.

I grab some homework out and open a couple of books on my desk and pretend I'm doing an assignment. Peeta sits Indian style on my bed with his chemistry textbook on his lap.

My mom opens the door and sees us doing work.

"Oh, sweetie, I didn't know you were going to have company! I would've brought more pizza," mutters my mom.

"Hey ma, this is my friend from school, Peeta."

"Hi Cato's mom! I'm Peeta Mellark," says Peeta enthusiastically.

My mom's eyebrows rise.

"Peeta Mellark? You mustn't be the child of Cedric Mellark are you? Oh and please, call me Kyra."

"Yes, I'm his son."

"Nice to finally meet some of his family! Mr. Mellark is a very close coworker of mine! I'll be sure to say that my son is friends with you, Peeta." My mom starts giggling and I see a perplexed Peeta nodding and smiling in agreement as if she didn't want his father to know.

"You guys must be starving from all this knowledge stinking up the room! I have pizza downstairs. I only brought enough for two, so you guys can eat up if you want. I'll cook myself any leftovers I find in the kitchen."

She departs the room and I breathe a sigh in relief. I look over at Peeta. He doesn't look normal. In fact, he looks a bit nervous and uneasy.

"What's wrong, Peet?"

"She's going to tell my dad I was here."

"What's the big deal?"

"He's going to tell my mom that I was here."

I look at him confused. He stares back looking flushed.

"I should go," Peeta murmured.

Looking confused as he packs his belongings, I come to my senses but try to stop him.

"Wait, Peeta. Don't go. Have dinner with me? Please, just—stay a bit longer?"

He scrambles out of bed and sits on the edge with his hands in his face.

"It's just—if my mom finds out." I cut him off.

"Don't worry. I'll be here. I'll protect you. You have nothing to fear," I say. Everything deep in my body uncurls and then clenches in the anticipation that he will stay.

He smiles and sets his book bag down on the floor. I grab his hand and start leading him out of the room.

"Let's get some dinner, shall we?" I say staring at his face.

He smiles back as we make our way downstairs.

But before we arrive in the kitchen with my mom, we let go of each other's hands.


	7. Chapter 7

__Hello all! i'm happy to say i'm back and continuing this story you all know and love :)

Forgive my absence, but I'm officially back and writing new chapters as I type! I'm hoping you will all like this chapter!

Feel free to review and comment! I love it when you guys tell me what you think :)

Enjoy!

* * *

_Cato and Peeta arrive at Cato's house. They proceed with homework and then intimately talk. Cato indirectly questioned Peeta's sexuality but instead of an answer, Peeta and Cato kiss passionately. Cato and Peeta confess their feelings towards each other. They proceed to kiss until they're interrupted by the arrival of Cato's mom. Peeta stays for dinner._

Chapter 7

Giggling. Smiling. His blond hair.

I gaze at Peeta unexpectedly for long periods of time during dinner. What a people person. I'm sure my mom has just fallen in love with him. Then again, I can't blame her. He's sort of dreamy. McDreamy, I presume. _Ha._

I don't even bother looking at the clock. He'll see me if I do, and he'll want to go home.

It doesn't take long though. He reads my thoughts. He looks up at the clock and realizes it's 9 at night.

"I should get going," said Peeta.

"It's getting rather late. Would you like me to drop you off?" says my mom.

"That would be nice, thanks!"

"Or, you could sleep over?" I add in with a smirk on my face.

Peeta looks at me as if he just shouted _shut up_. He gives off this arbitrary look that warned me to stop talking. Sorry if I just wanted to spend some time with him. Then again, we just professed our feelings to each other not to long ago.

"Actually, Cato, that sounds like a good idea to me! It's getting late, and y'all could just head over to school together tomorrow morning!" my mom proclaims.

Fiddling his fingers, Peeta ponders the idea.

"Um, well, eh. I don't know. I should really get going. My parents don't know about it. Plus, I won't have anything to wear for tomorrow."

"Nonsense," says my mom. "Stay overnight. I'm sure Cato has some spare clothes he could let you borrow? He may be a bigger and taller than you, but he wasn't always! Isn't that right honey?"

Oh my goodness. How embarrassing. She's right though. I only had my growth spurt like a year ago. I was about Peeta's size not too long ago. I start to blush as I look at Peeta. He smiles in return and raises his eyebrows.

Giggling, he adds, "Oh is that right, Cato?"

Letting out a laugh, I reveal the truth.

"She's right. Believe it or not, I was about your size Peeta like a year ago. Thank goodness for puberty."

We all let out a laugh. I stare at Peeta with a desperate look begging for him to stay.

"Well, I'd have to get permission from my parents," spoke Peeta.

"I can take care of that! I could call your father right now!" said my mom.

Before letting Peeta respond, she left the room calling Mr. Mellark on his cell phone. I turn my head back to Peeta and smile at him. He smiles back but only for a second before an expression of despair and fear overtake him.

I go over to him, and make sure my mom isn't near. I kiss him on his cheek and whisper.

"Don't worry, Peeta. I'm here for you. I won't let anything happen to you."

He looks up at my eyes and finally makes a smile. His eyes shift down at my hands looking a bit worried. He mutters at me.

"Easy for you to say. At least your mom still loves you."

"My mom doesn't know. No one does, Peeta. I don't know how she or anyone else will react if I were to come out. All I know his that I'm smitten. I'm happy when I'm around you. That's all that really matters to me."

I grab his hands.

"We're in this together," I say.

I hear my mom coming back into the room as I start walking away from Peeta. I turn back around to see his face flushed with his scarlet red cheeks.

"All settled, boys!" My mom says. "So, I'm going to bed. Cato, there are some extra sheets in the bathroom closet. Be a nice boy and let Peeta sleep in your bed while you sleep on the floor. Oh, and Peeta, you're welcome to use our shower if you'd like."

"Thanks, Kyra," says Peeta softly and smiley.

"Alright, well I'm off to bed. Goodnight boys!" as my mom leaves the room.

"C'mon," I grab Peeta by his hand and lead him upstairs.

…

I'm sitting in my room on the bed reading a book for English. After a shower, I usually just put myself into a plain white tee and some shorts for my pajamas. Moments later, Peeta comes in. His hair's wet. He's wearing an old t-shirt of mine of the Capitol baseball team with my old gym shorts. _Those shorts are awfully too short on him_. My inner thoughts speak. I gaze at his eyes and he smiles as he walks back into my room. He closes the door.

"You smell fresh," I say.

He laughs, but asks, "Won't your mom hear us?" speaking softly.

"Oh her bedroom is downstairs in the basement. Kind of an odd place but it's roomy and cozy," I add reassuringly.

"Oh, okay," he says smiling.

He grabs the sheets and starts setting down sheets on the floor getting ready to go to bed.

"Why don't you sleep on the bed?" I ask.

"With you?" he mutters instantaneously.

"Oh, well," I stutter as I start blushing.

"Well you can have the bed by yourself and I can sleep on the floor? Unless you would like me to sleep next to you, I mean. I wouldn't mind," I say stuttering and frankly quite embarrassingly.

He starts blushing, too. He looks at my eyes as he sits down next to me. He grabs my hand and starts caressing my face and hair. And then the symptoms return. Heartbeat starts racing. Cheeks turning red, Temperature rises; the works.

"Well, I mean. I'd like to, but—" he mutters. "Maybe I'm just a bit scared or nervous, I don't really know."

My face is flushed. I gaze back and I'm lost at sea in his blue eyes. I lean in, and we kiss. _Oh. _Passionate. Delicious. Is there even a word to describe this? He smells divine. My hand is on autopilot as I slid my hand underneath his shirt caressing his chest.

_My God._

Toned. Muscular. I would have never thought Peeta would be physically fit. He looks scrawny and gawky at school. His clothes illustrate no details of a physically fit body. I continue to run my hand over his chest. I could hear faint moans as I continue fiddling with his thin yet fine chest hair. When I do this, he pulls my face into a deeper kiss.

My veins are flooding with hormones. These emotions indescribable. His smell attracts me closer. _I want him_. My heartbeat continues to race as I slide one finger down his chest over his abdomen. As I do, he twitches a bit and laughs.

"I'm ticklish," giggles Peeta faintly. We separate heads and look into each other's eyes. I bring my hand over his face and fix his blond hair. I know what I want to say to him, but I can't bring myself to speak it aloud.

"Peet—I. I," I stutter. He puts his finger on my lips to shush me.

"Cato, can I sleep next to you on your bed?" he asks softly.

"Yes," I say faintly and let out the biggest smile.

I get up from the bed, lock the door and turn off the light. Barely seeing anything, I make my way over to the windows and open the blinds to get the moonlight to shine in. I walk back in to the bed and stand in front of him.

I take off my shirt, revealing my body to him. He gets up from the bed standing right in front of me and proceeds to slowly take off his shirt. _Sleeping naked are we? _As my inner thoughts whisper to me, I couldn't take my eyes of Peeta. His body is perfectly configured. Faint, yet visible abs, and toned chest with visible, yet fine hair.

"You're beautiful," I say to him. He smiles at me through the moonlight. He moves closer, as his hand makes its way onto my chest.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you. You're body is simply divine. Like a God," he says in awe. "I'm scrawny, skinny, and much less muscular."

"Doesn't matter to me. You are perfect, Peeta," I whisper. "There's nothing you can do to change that in my eyes."

He smiles and moves in to kiss me.

"Tired?" he asks.

"Very," I reply. "Shall we?"

I move towards the bed holding his hand. I go underneath the covers and move over to the side nearest the wall to make room for him. He slowly makes his way in and soon enough, he is facing me sideways with his head on my pillow. I position myself to face him back. The bed sheets cover our bodies leaving only our heads and shoulders visible. All we do is hold hands and look into each other's eyes until we fall asleep.

Sweet serenity.


	8. Chapter 8

__Please welcome chapter 8 of my story!

I plan on making the story a little bit more of a faster pace in attempts to get to certain details/actions sooner instead of later!

Chapter 9 coming soon :)

Please review/comment! I love y'all!

* * *

_Peeta stayed for dinner and chats with Cato's mom. Cato's mom is about to drive Peeta home until Cato suggests he sleep over. After agreeing shortly after, Cato and Peeta head to bed. Peeta showers and returns to Cato's room. While deciding on where they will sleep, they kiss and touch each other. They end up sleeping on the same bed for the night._

Chapter 8

"_Peeta, please don't leave," I yell. "I need you here. I'm not me without you."_

"_Sorry, Cato. Maybe it's for the better."_

"_Don't leave because you're afraid. I could protect you!" I exclaim._

"_Protect me? It's too late. Look at my face. This isn't the only one. My parent's have disowned me. They were right. I'm way over my head. I probably don't even like guys. Maybe it was just a phase. She was right. I don't know. I'm not me. I don't feel like me."_

"_So, you never loved me?" I ask. "Answer me, Peeta. Do you even care about me? Don't just stare at me. Answer me! Say something! Peeta! Please answer me!"_

I open my eyes.

The sunlight's rays hit my face directly at my constricting pupils. I'm distracted by the sudden brightness in the room. I squint and regain my vision. I turn my head to the side and I see him. _Thank goodness_. There he is. Sleeping peacefully, breathing softly, with his hand gripping my forearm.

_Just a dream, Cato_. My inner thoughts reassure me. It wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare. With my other arm, I wipe the sweat on my forehead. I look at the clock from a distance on my desk. 6:24 a.m. Phew. My mind wasn't exactly focused on setting an alarm last night. Let alone, think about going to school today.

I look down at my forearm. Boy, he has a tight grip. I slowly being to loosen his fingers but he reacts to my touch and lets go. _Oh that feels good_ as the circulation is restored to my hand.

"Oh, sorry," whispers Peeta. I turn at him and smile. I move my face closer and kiss him on his sweet, tender morning lips.

"No, you're fine," I whisper back. "How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty good. What about you?"

"Same," I lie. "Probably because of you."

He blushes and let's out a smile and a yawn. He gets up and sits on the bed. I stretch my arms and get up. I realize I fell asleep in my boxers. Peeta gets up and the shorts he's wearing ride up. I see his thighs. Fine hairy legs. _What a turn on. _He stretches and his shirt rides up. I see his back. _Gosh, it's too early to be appreciating his beauty._ Then it happens.

I get the biggest erection ever. _Wow_. I blush to a scarlet red color. I quickly pull the covers over my lap and look up to see if Peeta noticed. He turns around when I look up and smiles again.

"You going to shower?" he asks.

"Uh-h. Um, yeah," I stutter.

"Ha, okay. Is it okay if I look through your closet for some clothes to wear today?"

"Not at all, feel free," I say.

As he walks towards the closet, I quickly get up, pick up my shorts on the floor and cover my area as I walk out of the room towards the shower. _Geez_. Well that could've gone an interesting way. Before I go to the shower, I peek downstairs and yell for my mom. Usually she leaves around 6:30 a.m. to go to work.

No response.

She must have left early again. I go into the bathroom and lock the door. I take off my clothes and remove my shorts and underwear. Well it's pretty clear my erection isn't going to go down anytime soon. I smirk as I look at myself in the mirror. I turn back, turn on the water, and take a refreshing and warm shower.

I head back into my room 10 minutes later. I see Peeta is sitting on my bed, leaning against the wall reading a book for English class. He's wearing my old tennis team t-shirt from my freshman year and his jeans from yesterday. He looks mighty cute in my clothes. I start blushing as I walk toward him.

He sets down his book. "Well, you look fresh," he said.

I laugh as I put fold my shorts and put them on my dresser. I turn and look into the mirror and start to comb my hair. I see him get up from my bed from the mirror and starts walking toward me. I turn around and meet him face front.

He grabs the comb, sets it down and fixes my hair with his hand. Once again, I get lost. In his eyes, that is. His ocean blue eyes with his messy bed hair are enough to send my heart tachycardia. The way he looks at me. So seriously. So exquisitely. On cue, we lean in slowly and kiss.

Our kiss session is cut short this time. My phone rings. It's enough to make us both jump. We both snicker as I apologize. He leans back and starts walking away gathering his books to put inside his backpack. I go to my nightstand and see that it's a text message.

_Hey, u wanna sit at our table today? We all miss u. Bring Peeta if u want_

Shit.

A text from Marvel.

I have forgotten all about this ridiculous drama with him. It's enough to send my mood from happy to agitated. Peeta notices.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, really."

"C'mon, Cato."

Hesitantly, I reveal the news to him.

"Marvel invited us to come sit with us during lunch today."

"Oh, I thought it was something bad. Why are you mad?" he questions.

"I'm not mad."

"Oh. Well you sort of look like you're bothered by it? Isn't he like your best friend?"

"Yeah, it's just. I don't know. Lately, he's been off," I say. "It bothered me a couple of days ago that I decided to come sit with you that one day. And I haven't really talked to him since."

I decide not to tell him the incident I had with Marvel. Which is the real reason why things have been awkward. It's better left unsaid. For now.

"Maybe you guys just need to start talking again. We should sit with him," he suggests.

I give a hesitant look but ultimately concur to the idea.

"It won't be bad. I'll be there," he says smilingly. I smile back and caress his cheeks. I disconnect my phone from the charger, and quickly put on some jeans and a tee and grab my book bag.

"You want some breakfast?" I ask.

"Please," he says caringly.

We head downstairs into the empty kitchen. I see a note on the table from my mom.

_Hey guys. Sorry, I had to leave early to work today so I couldn't make you guys breakfast. There's some cereal and bagels. Help yourselves. Have a good day at school! 3_

"I love your mom," Peeta says while smiling at the note.

"She can be pretty random," I reveal.

We laugh as I dig through the fridge and find us some food to eat. After breakfast, we realize it's about to be 7 a.m. and decide to head out since we have to walk to school. Once outside, I take out my phone and decide to send a text back to Marvel.

_Yeah, dude. For sure!_

Eh, that should get the message across.

I decide to be cute, and text Peeta as well.

_I wish I could hold your hand._

I press send and immediately I start to blush waiting for Peeta's phone to ring.

Seconds later, we hear a tone from his phone. He takes it out of his coat pocket and reads the text. I see his face brighten up as he becomes elated. He looks up at me and smiles. He pushes me to the side slightly laughing and I see him reply.

_I wish I could hold your hand too. You have no idea _

I look at my phones screen and just stare at it. My heartbeat starts racing as I look at his face with infatuation. But, we both know. We don't even have to say it. We can't hold hands. Not in public. Which sucks.

…

The first half of the day goes by easily. Chemistry labs are easier with Peeta. I don't know if he knows it, but I'm pretty sure I look more at his face across the table than at the reaction occurring right in front of me in which I'm supposed to be observing. It's pretty obvious though. My face is constantly red now. There's never a moment where my heart isn't racing when I'm with him.

Lunch rolls around. I wait for Peeta by his locker but he never comes. I decide to go into the lunchroom and I notice that he's already sitting down with Marvel, Glimmer, Clove, and Katniss. I'm guessing he went with Marvel to lunch since they're locker neighbors. I make my way towards the table and sit next to Peeta at the edge of the table across from Marvel and Glimmer with Clove on the other side of Peeta.

"Hey Cato, we missed ya!" exclaims Marvel.

I smile back at him and look at the others who are waiting for me to say something.

"Ha, you guys are funny," I say.

Everyone else continues their conversations and I decide to wait in line to get some lunch. I noticed Peeta has already got his, so I decide to go by myself.

"Cato."

I turn around and see Marvel up close and personal.

"Hey!" I say unexpectedly.

"Didn't mean to startle you," he says smilingly. "What are you going to get to eat?"

"Uh-h, not sure. Maybe the Caesar salad or some chicken soup."

"Shit, I'm going to get both!" Marvel laughs.

I smile at him and I realize that this is the first normal conversation we had in, well, I don't even remember. These last few weeks have been a blur. I feel like I haven't talked to anyone except Peeta. Suddenly, I feel sympathetic.

I realize that Marvel has wanted to talk about the situation for a while but I've been shooting him down every time he mentions it. I'm at crossroads. I wonder if he decided to finally drop it, and move on or if it's still on his mind. Regardless, it's on my mind and I have to talk about it.

"Hey Marv—" I say but I'm suddenly cut off. Gale cuts me.

"Cato, I missed you, dude!" Gale shouts while giving me a brotherly-like hug. "Since you haven't been sitting with us for a while, you should let me cut you. I'm fucking hungry!"

I stare blankly for a second trying to gather my thoughts in the right direction.

I let out a laugh.

"Yeah, not at all. Least I can do," I say.

I guess it isn't the right time yet.

We head back to the table and I sit next to Peeta while Katniss, Clove and Gale gossip. I finish my lunch and I notice Marvel and Glimmer having a quiet conversation to themselves. I look at Peeta through the corner of my eyes. He looks out of place. I see him gaze at the others expecting a form of conversation but no one speaks to him.

I put my hands underneath the table and put my hand on top of his hand that was resting on his right thigh. He makes no noticeable or sudden movement from his waist up. Keeping it discreet, Peeta turns his hand over and we hold hands.

I let out a smile form the corner of my mouth and look at the windows to my right trying my best to avoid the symptoms. _Oh boy._

"Cato!"

I'm startled and I immediately let go of Peeta's hand making nonchalant movements with my body.

"What's up, Marv?" I ask.

"This weekend, I'm hosting movie night. We're going to watch Space Jam! You should come this time. Don't be a lame."

"What time?"

It was the first question that popped into my head. Immediately, I start thinking of an excuse to use because I was intending on spending time with Peeta.

"8 p.m. this Friday. Come. Bring pop and some sort of grub," he says. "You should come too, Peeta! Any friend of Cato is a best friend of mine!" he states ecstatically looking over at Peeta.

"Sounds like fun!" Peeta announces.

I get mad. Only briefly though. I'm kind of surprised he didn't prefer to hang out with me.

_Selfish_.

My inner thoughts yell at me. I forget that Peeta is a new student and probably wants more friends than just me. Even if he is a sophomore. I look at his face. He looks delightful. Happy. I smile. Peeta socializing. This will be a first.

The rest of the day goes by fast. I gather my books, and head over to Peeta's locker. Approaching from a distance, I see that he and Marvel are talking. My heartbeat picks up its pace. It's accompanied by the not-so-usual feeling: nervousness. I'm not sure why, but I know it's there.

"Well, yeah definitely! You should come over sometime. I could show you the materials he uses!" Marvel says.

"Oh, hey Cato! I was just telling Peeta about my dad's art gallery in my house. Did you know Peeta can paint? Or so he tells me," Marvel reveals giggling.

"Hm, no I don't think so," I say.

"Well yeah, you should come sometime and take a look. I'm sure my dad would be delighted to have an artist aficionado," Marvel says while turning to Peeta.

"Yeah definitely! Heck, I could take a look this Friday!" Peeta says enthusiastically.

"Cool! Well I got to run. Catch you guys later!"

He leaves running down the hall and I turn back to look at Peeta. All I can do is smile at him. He smiles back and starts to blush. As I come in closer, he leans back and turns back into his locker putting his materials away.

I connect the dots and I assume he doesn't want us to show affection in public. A feeling of dejection looms over me. I expected it. I myself am worried to illustrate affection in public. I don't know what made me do that. I feel like I was pushing him. Pushing myself. _You're getting worked up._

I drop it.

We start walking back home to the bus stop that separates our routes.

"So, um, I guess you're going home?" I ask.

"For now, I suppose. I haven't been home since yesterday. I'm sure my mom's anxious."

"Oh, o-okay," I stutter.

We exchange looks. I run my hand through my hair and I feel my face becoming flushed.

"You know, I would invite you over, but—"

"I know," I mutter.

He tugs on my jacket while making eye contact with his ocean blue eyes. I look around making sure no one sees us. He starts biting his lip and I get the urge to kiss him right here.

With all the hormones rushing through my body, I manage to contain myself and just smile back.

"You know, I could come over again? I could make up an excuse like a project? I could be over right after dinner," Peeta suggests.

I giggle and my heart becomes elated. The endorphins flow through my body like a love potion.

"I'd like that," I mutter and smile. "Text me later?"

He nods, smiles and begins to walk away. _Oh, I'm smitten._

The rest of the afternoon goes by in an instant. I feel like I'm constantly looking at my phone waiting for his text. Nothing yet.

I look at the clock. 7:30 p.m. It's getting late. Maybe he had second thoughts. I let my hopes fly away and decide to shower. I needed one. A hot one. I get out and I look at my phone. Nothing. I throw my phone to my bed and decide to go downstairs and watch t.v.

I hear chattering from the kitchen. Probably my mom on some business call.

No. Definitely not. I recognize the voice. My heart starts racing and I enter the room.

Peeta.

_Fuck me_.


End file.
